Provision hidden in voter bill

Changes non-partisan elections to November

Posted: Monday, April 25, 2005

By Allison Floydallison.floyd@onlineathens.com

It wasn't the hotly contested part of the controversial bill, but a provision buried in the mammoth new voter ID bill means Athens-Clarke voters often will choose their most important elected officials in run-off elections the week of Thanksgiving.

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Gov. Sonny Perdue signed House Bill 244 Friday, a law that requires voters to produce a driver's license, a passport or official ID cards issued by the state, military or Indian tribe before they cast ballots.

The bill brought protests from Democrats, who argued that the law would disenfranchise poor or old voters who don't have state-issued IDs, but could show utility bills, gun licenses or birth certificates to prove their identity.

But the bill also shifted the date of elections for nonpartisan offices - judgeships, school board and, in Athens-Clarke, mayor and commission.

When Athens-Clarke voters overwhelmingly approved nonpartisan elections in November, state law required that nonpartisan elections be held in July, and local officials had no reason to believe that wouldn't be the case with the mayor and commission races.

With a solid Democratic majority in Athens, most local elections essentially were decided in July Democratic Party primaries, anyway, either because there was no Republican candidate, or it was unlikely a Republican candidate would win.

With House Bill 244 now law, Athens-Clarke voters will go to the polls in November, and without partisan primaries to narrow the field of candidates, likely will face several names for the most important offices.

If no one person gets more than half the votes, a run-off election will be held three weeks after the general election - in the middle of a holiday week. Still, the change will bring more, not less, voter participation, some say.

Athens-Clarke Commissioner Tom Chasteen supports the change in state law. Moving nonpartisan general elections from July to November will increase participation because campaigning season will be shorter - three weeks between the general election and runoff, instead of four months between the primary and general election. Also, Chasteen pointed out, more college kids will be in town and might vote.

"You're going to have more people participating, either running or voting, in November rather than July," he said.

That's true, said Lucy Rowland, an active member of the Democratic Party who opposed the nonpartisan referendum.

But, Rowland disagrees that November nonpartisan elections will be less expensive.

"The problem would be a runoff. You are almost certain to have a forced runoff," she said. "It sort of defeats the original premises that these would be shorter campaign season. I think you will get a better turnout than you would in (July), but it won't be cheaper."

It doesn't matter whether July or November elections would work better in Athens-Clarke County, said Assistant County Attorney Holly Hilton. State law decided the date.

"State law is going to control this," Hilton said. "That's what happened when the governor signed that bill."

Under H.B. 244, candidates for nonpartisan elections will qualify to run in July and voters will choose in the general election the following November.

The first nonpartisan election for mayor and five Athens-Clarke commissioners will be in 2006.